Understanding Your Paycheck
USC paychecks are either issued biweekly or monthly.
- Monthly: Exempt staff and faculty employees, including Teaching and Research Assistants, are paid on the monthly payroll cycle. The pay period runs from the 1st through the last day of each month. Payday is the 26th of the month, or the last working day before if the 26th occurs on a weekend or holiday.
- Biweekly: Student workers, CWSP, Adjunct Professors and non-exempt staff employees are paid on a biweekly pay cycle. Pay periods run from 12:01 a.m. Thursday through midnight Wednesday, with payday being the following Wednesday.
Monthly and Biweekly Payroll schedules can be found on the Payroll Schedules page on the University Comptroller website.
If you are enrolled in Direct Deposit, you can view your pay statement in Workday.
Direct Deposit
Did you know that you can set up direct deposit through Workday in just a few minutes? This handy quick guide to setting up direct deposit will walk you through the simple process step-by-step.
Imagine: no more worries about missing or losing a paycheck, or standing in line to cash or deposit your check! If you want to enjoy the convenience of having your money available on payday, set up direct deposit today.
If you don’t have a bank account, you can open a free checking account at the USC Credit Union as a USC student or employee. Visit any of the USC Credit Union branches and open an account with just a brief visit. For more information on the benefits, visit the USC Credit Union website.
Once you have set up direct deposit to your bank account (and you can also have your money sent to more than one account), it will take one-to-two pay cycles for the change to take effect. Make sure you enter all your information correctly in Workday – the most common reason for delays in setting up direct deposit is incorrect account numbers.
Request A Stop Payment
Request a stop payment if a USC paycheck is lost, stolen, or destroyed.
When to submit a paper timesheet
Submit a paper timesheet when you have been authorized to start work at the end of a pay cycle and are unable to record hours in Workday.
If you have missed the submission deadline and are unable to record hours in Workday AND your manager missed their deadline to make corrections, a paper timesheet will need to be submitted.
Tax Elections for Domestic Students
When you have been authorized to work and you have full access to your Workday account, you can select your federal and state tax elections. Central payroll services will default elections to “Single – 0”.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common payroll inquiries related to paychecks, direct deposit, student workers, tax statements, and more.